MechChem Africa November 2019

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Sasol Solar Challenge – Innovation beyond boundaries

T he seventh Sasol Solar Challenge (SSC) is officially open for entries, and will be held in September 2020. Held every second year since 2008, the event will challenge top young engineers fromacross the world to drive their fuel-less, cutting-edge cars across 2 500 km of South Africa’s public roads. The event, which is widely regarded as the most difficult of more than a dozen such events globally, is used as a popular testing ground for the world’s leading teams to push new equipment to the limit, The unpredictable weather, changing road surfaces and a record drop in altitude of nearly 2 000 m along the SA route are some of the many challenges’ participants have to

overcome. Teams however use these circum- stances to gather invaluable data. Nine participants are already confirmed. Seven South African teams have entered so far, including first time participants the Mpumalanga SolaFlairs and the University of the Free State, and returning teams from theCape PeninsulaUniversity of Technology, Central University of Technology in the Free State, North West University, TUT, and the University of Johannesburg. South Africa will also host newcomers Team Solaris from Turkey and the Alfaisal Boeing Solar Car Project team from Saudi Arabia. “The 2020 Sasol Solar Challenge is an op- portunity for our teamto test andunderstand the new technology we’ve developed,” says

Tshwane University of Technology’s (TUT) team leader Johannes de Vries. The University’s car, Sun Chaser 3, topped the SouthAfrican leader boardwith 2397 km in 2018. The team is one of the nine already signed up for the event. Sun Chaser 4, which willcompetein2020,is25%moreaerodynam- ic, and the teamhopes tomake it 20kg lighter. Participants of the event can look forward to a new route, changes in format, and a re- newed title sponsor. The SSC will pass through the Northern Cape for the first time in eight years, while Bothaville, Kimberley, Bloemhof, Uitenhage, Kirkwood, Plettenberg Bay and Franschhoek havebeenaddedtotherouteforthefirsttime. Experienced teamsusually travel the route several times in advance to prepare for all challenges, but will now have to plan for the element of surprise and think on their feet on ‘blind’ days -where information regarding the route is withheld until the night before - forc- ing teams to strategise on the go. The loops en-route, which allow teams to rackupdistanceandgetaleadoncompetitors, will also bemuch shorter in 2020. Spectators will havebetter opportunities to see the care- fully co-ordinated, Formula 1-style pit stops in action, and the less experienced teams will have more time to troubleshoot as they stop in with their support teammore often. As the title sponsor for the fourthyear run- ning, Sasol continues to demonstrate its com- mitment to furthering science, technology, engineering andmaths (STEM) education and inspiring learners topursue technical careers. “We have seen this event grow from strength to strengthover the last decade, and areproudtorenewoursponsorship.TheSasol SolarChallengebringsmaths andengineering to life in the eyes of the thousands of school children it reaches on its route, inspiring them in ways that textbooks simply can’t,” says Sasol’s group brandmarketing manager, Nozipho Mbatha. The event typically draws more than 20 partners and sponsors, and the 2020 event is proud to confirm support from Sun International, C-Track and the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA). The 2020 event is also driven by a much larger management team. In2018, thenine competing teams drove a collective 16 249 km. Dutch team and global leader Nuon Solar won the 2018 event by clocking4034km, followed closelyby Japan’s Tokai University Solar Car team, with just 93 km less distance covered. Both teams com- petewithmulti-millionRandvehicles,through which they are driving research and develop- ment in engineering, renewable energy and aerodynamics globally. q

Call for speakers for E.M.C.S.A 21 st – 22 nd September 2020

JukwaaEventswillbehostinganElectricVehicle(EV)Congressonthe21 st –22 nd  September 2020 inCapeTown. E-MobilityCongress of SouthAfrica (E.M.C.S.A) is a two-day congress, aimedat getting thought leaders, companies andgovernment institutes together todiscuss everyday problems that require solutions and more importantly make the needed deci- sions for EV’swithin SouthAfrica. The organisers are calling on industry professionals and management experts to share their knowledge about making SA EV viable. Anumber of interactive sessionswithpanel discussions are expectedon the lineup. The event is an opportunity to voice your opinion and possible solutions about the EV future as well as to mingle and learn from other professional industry speakers. What is required from a speaker? As a potential speaker at the congress you would need to submit the following documentation; - Title of your presentation - Ashort synopsis of your presentation (50 - 100words) onwhat youwill be talking about - Current or professional work experience (What makes you an expert in E-Mobility)

- An up to date photograph of yourself (For website purposes) - Your professional title (This will be your current work title)

For more information, visit www.evfuture.co.za

32 ¦ MechChem Africa • November 2019